The Archives of Historic Harrisville recently had the pleasure of talking with three of Dick and Mary Upton’s children – Dan, Kay, and Cindy – collecting some of their memories of growing up at 54 Brown Road.

A recap of the Fall 2024 Meeting, with a transcript of John Knight’s remarks.

Willard Richardson was an artist, a farmer, and a storyteller. He was born in 1917 in Harrisville’s Eastview neighborhood, in a house that had been in his family for generations. Willard’s grandfather was Moses Eaton Jr., one of the most famous stencilers in 19th century New England, and the house Willard lived in is now known as the Moses Eaton House.

Come hear what has been happening at Historic Harrisville, meet our new executive director, and join us for lunch! Saturday, November 2, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. in the Spinning Room in the Granite Mill, first floor, 69 Main St., Harrisville.

If you’ve been wandering around the village recently, you may have heard the tink, tink, tink sound of brick wall repairs being made by HHI staffers Fred O’Connor and Kat O’Brien. Harrisville's first brick building was constructed in 1819. Restoring this material after damage caused by weathering and decay takes expert knowledge and skill.

Join us for these upcoming Tiny Store author events at the Harrisville General Store—Sy Montgomery celebrating the release of What the Chicken Knows and Anna Von Mertens, in conversation with Rebecca Dinerstein Knight, for the release of Attention is Discovery.

Before the tiny white building by the General Store was moved to its current location, it served as Harrisville’s first tramp house. With the introduction of railroads paired with economic hard times, transient paupers, or tramps, became an issue across New Hampshire. Tramps became so numerous that many towns built small, simple buildings called tramp houses.

Join us for these upcoming free Tiny Store events at the Harrisville General Store—the Apple Hill String Quartet, a wine tasting, and writer Rebecca Kaiser Gibson in conversation with Poet Tin Fogdall.

Join visiting MacDowell fellow and author Julie Buntin, then author and educator Susie Spikol, at events in the new Tiny Store Series at the Harrisville General Store.

Let’s talk about historic preservation – the heart of Historic Harrisville’s mission-driven work. Generally speaking, the term "historic preservation" includes four possible “treatments” for historic properties. Rehabilitation and preservation are actively used in Harrisville, while restoration and reconstruction are less common.

Historic Harrisville aims to maintain the essential character of Harrisville as a village where people live and work. We believe it is critical that we make every effort to ensure that those who work (and want to work) in Harrisville can live here.

Primarily a historic preservation organization, many people don’t know that Historic Harrisville is actively engaged in land conservation. We own land for conservation purposes and hold conservation easements on land owned by others.

The Harrisville General Store offers a wide variety of items year-round, from the ordinary to the unique. Read some “favorite things” from the store employees, Historic Harrisville, town employees, and store regulars.

Sustainability is a hot topic, both in terms of the environment and organizational longevity. HHI’s work in green energy helps us to be sustainable in both senses. By maximizing efficiency and using renewable energy resources, we not only help the environment, but we also reduce our operating costs.

At HHI, our commitment to preserving Harrisville extends to safeguarding, educating, and interpreting Harrisville’s rich history through the Historic Harrisville Archives, a treasure trove of documents, photographs, recordings, and artifacts.

Do you ever wonder why Harrisville is such a special place? Historic Harrisville has played a pivotal role in our town’s evolution into the community we know and love today. As HHI turned 50 years old in 2021, we focused on telling the story of our organization’s history–why and how we were founded, what our guiding principles are, and how we have grown over time.

Conveniently located at the Harrisville General Store, our new Book Nook offers an eclectic mix of fiction, non-fiction, and kids’ books for sale. Expertly curated by editor and Harrisville resident, John Knight, you’ll find a variety of subject matter ranging from local history and culture to art, nature, and science. Read an interview with John here.

The public is invited to join us at 10 a.m. in the Granite Mill on April 22, 2023 for our annual meeting and the premiere screening of Ned Porter’s new documentary about Historic Harrisville, Red Brick Village. The screening will be followed by a free community lunch.

In honor of our 50-year anniversary, we are raising $50,000 to publish a limited-edition book celebrating the first five decades of Historic Harrisville. Learn more about the project and its authors Elizabeth Durfee Hengen and Robert Russell here.

We were disappointed not to be able to hold our Fall Incorporator's meeting in October. Instead, we prepared a presentation that reviews some of the highlights from this summer and fall and share it here.